Hunt or be Hunted
by The Swizzle
Summary: Fang the Sniper defeats a mysterious man in a late night poker game. Little does he know that victory will come at a high cost...imprisonment. Please R & R. Now completed!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER, YO! I do not own anything related to Sonic the Hedgehog, Fang/Nack, etc. They are all copyright to SEGA and its' creators.**

The rain poured down on Station Square like a bad omen just waiting to happen. The midnight sky was almost completely pitch-black; a combination of the storm clouds, and the late night shadows. Puddles lined the empty streets from the heavy rainfall, reflecting the moonlight's gentle shine. During the day, Station Square would be bustling with people; shoppers, runners, the occasional tourist….but at night, the city was quite placid. The only source of bright light at the time was the gleaming neon sign for Casinopolis.

And that was exactly where he was headed.

Now, Fang was no ordinary weasel by any standard. I mean, how many purple weasels do you see running around in a hat and boots, carrying a belt with a pistol tucked in? Not many. Besides that, how many of them can talk? Yeah, he was pretty unique. Maybe that was why people stared at him when he lurked around the city. But what distinguished him more than the hat and gloves was the large canine tooth that jutted out of his smile, for which he was named after. He also had a talent; he could shoot very, very well, which earned him the title of a sniper. Nobody knew how he learned, or from who, but it was better not to question.

Tonight, he was looking for an easy win on the poker tables. He always won; followed by streams of cash that would rain down upon him like a cascading waterfall. Only, the victory didn't last long; money passed through his hands quickly as he tried the slot machines.

It seemed nothing could go astray….

As he walked along the sodden concrete toward Casinopolis, the rain started pelting down even harder, and a streak of lightning flashed across the sky. Fang broke into a dash toward the glass doors, and threw them open just before a large crack of thunder sounded. He stood in the doorway of the casino, panting. "Great. I'm soaking wet." While mumbling, he took his hat off, and wrung out the water in it.

There were not very many people gambling this late. A few men were up at the bar, horsing around and puffing on their cigars, and some others were playing various card games of Blackjack and Texas Holdem.

Fang started over toward an empty poker table, away from the drunken bastards at the bar. He sat down on a stool, and rested his feet on the table in a rather relaxed pose. Lulled by the sound of the raging storm outside, he dozed off.

Fifteen minutes passed by, when BAM! The doors to Casinopolis slammed open, and a tall man stood in the doorway. The loud disturbance roused Fang, and he jumped. He stared at the man, who was walking towards him.

Upon closer inspection, the man wore a camouflage tee that was ripped at the armholes from his bulging muscles. His khakis were enormous, and the rugged boots below were a deep brown hue. His blonde hair was buzz-cut to a look that meant he was dead serious, which didn't really phase Fang at all. Though, he couldn't stop staring at the silver chain around the man's neck; a mystery indeed.

"Hm. What's an animal doing in here?" The man had a booming voice that made the thunder seem like nothing. "An animal? Pfft. I can go where I want, when I please, bitch. It doesn't matter what I am." Fang turned his back on the man, who slammed his fist onto the poker table. "DON'T YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" Damn, was he pissed off!  
The weasel just turned to look at the man, and a sly grin crawled across his face. "I'll bet you can't beat me in a poker game, then."

The man calmed his rage, and pulled up another stool; his voice so dramatically changed that it sounded like he was a completely different person. "…Alright then." His burly arm grabbed the deck of cards from across the table, and he passed out the cards, marking the game's beginning.

The heated match drew the few remaining people at the casino to Fang's table, where the odds looked to be in his favor. People gathered around and placed bets, and some drinks were even offered.

Then, Fang put down his cards…

An Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten.

"ROYAL FLUSH!" Someone yelled out in the small crowd. Cheers arose, and coins started flying in the air.

He could not believe it. Beaten down by a pesky WEASEL! Something that wasn't even a human had crushed his victory!

The man gritted his teeth, and anger blazed across his eyes. He stood up hastily, and started pacing toward the door. One last backward glance, and the man locked eyes with Fang for a few moments. Then, before he opened the casino doors to go back out into the storm, he spat out in a terrible rage: "I'll have your hide if it's the last thing I ever do!"


	2. Chapter 2

That night was soon forgotten; the man's warning meant nothing to Fang. Two weeks passed before something actually intrigued him.

He had been walking around through the streets of Station Square on a particularly sunny day, window-browsing. A favorite thing he liked to do, for sometimes there would be valuables displayed in the shop windows; just one more thing Fang could try and get his hands on. Silver watches, priceless gemstones, quality guns…all looking back at him from behind a glass wall.

After finding nothing of interest, Fang walked past an electronics store, almost completely unaware that it even existed. Suddenly, the many televisions in the window turned on, and a lady in a blue dress appeared, sitting behind what looked to be a news counter.

"Huh?" Fang backtracked his steps, and stared at the television in confusion. The woman on the screen coughed and sat up straight in a professional pose. Three bold red words flashed across the screen, and a little news ditty started up.

'Special News Bulletin; Chaos Emerald Found!'

"Hello citizens of Station Square. I'm Linda Taylor from Channel 5 News. Earlier today, there was a report of an alleged Chaos Emerald somewhere deep within the Mystic Ruins. One visitor to the park claimed to have seen a faint red glow as he was hiking the paths. He took a quick glance, and described the gem as 'a large jewel that resembled a cut ruby.' I have this visitor here with me today to tell about his experience."

As the screen cut, Fang was glued to the window; wanting to hear more about a potential heist. "An emerald, you say? Hmm…" His voice had a hint of curiosity.

A man appeared back on the screen after a few seconds. His face was blotted out by a black square, but his blonde hair was visible. Weird. It seemed so strangely familiar….

Fang missed the entire interview, eager to get to the Mystic Ruins as soon as he could. He started running toward the train station with only one thing on his mind; that Chaos Emerald was going to be his for the taking! Not even paying attention to the afternoon traffic, he weaved through the streets as countless numbers of people rolled down their windows and shouted insults at him.

Finally, he arrived at the entrance to the station, and threw open the doors. "Oh dammit! I'm going to miss the train!" Fang stared at the clock, which read 1:30. Without even caring who was in his way, the weasel climbed the steps to the platform, where a conductor was just climbing into the train. The door was starting to shut when Fang leaped into the cabin, almost having his tail crushed in the process.

"Whew…that was a close call…" Fang breathed a sigh of relief, and looked around as the train chugged along.

There was nobody else on the train except for himself, and a tall man with his face buried in a newspaper. He was reading contently, with a brown boot tapping on the ground. He failed to look up as Fang walked over and sat down on the seat across from him. _Something about this guy is weird….why does he have his face buried in a newspaper like that? Is he hiding something? _Fang thought, and tried to catch a quick glimpse of the man. Just then, the train shook a little, knocking Fang off balance. He fell back in his seat, and decided it would be best to wait until the man got off at the Ruins.

They said nothing the entire ride. As the train slowed to a stop, the conductor opened up the door, letting Fang jump out. The little wooden station was nothing like the one at Station Square; it was made of logs and had stairs that looked like they could collapse with a single step.

Before the train pulled out of the station, Fang turned to look back into the cabin. The man was gone…

"Eh. Maybe he's further back in the cabin than I thought…" Without a second to contemplate, Fang descended the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he stared out at the vast plain. A large waterfall was flowing ahead of him, and beyond that, a rickety old mine cart leading into a cave. "Something's telling me to follow the cart. I'll bet that that's where the emerald is…" Fang made up his mind, and walked over to the cart. He climbed in, and the cart rolled on into the cave. It was pitch black, without even a single lantern to light the way. Something clunked behind him, and Fang held a hand on his pistol, just in case that something was to attack him. "Damn bats…" He growled as the cave's tunnel ended, and the cart halted. Fang jumped out, and stared down at the forest below. In the distance, a little red glow caught his eye. "The emerald!" He cried out, and jumped from the ledge, not even bothering to use the ladder that was propped up against the cliff.

Yeah, he almost broke his leg, but nothing got in the way of Fang and a valuable. Never.  
When he reached the ground, he started running off in the direction of the glow. _Keep your eyes on the prize, and don't look back. _

After stumbling through countless foliage, Fang came to a clearing with a single bush in its center. It was almost too good to be true; a bright red gem was cradled in the leaves, without a single scratch from the twigs.

The Chaos emerald.

Fang delicately picked up the emerald, holding it in his hands. "I can't believe it…this easy?" He smirked, and inspected the emerald with a careful eye.

Wait a second…

The emerald was too light-weight to be real, and it had a switch at the bottom that shut the glow on and off.

This was no Chaos emerald; this was a plastic copy!

"What!" Fang dropped the emerald in disgust. "A FAKE! I traveled all the way down here to find a child's toy?"

Before he could turn back and head out of the clearing, he felt a sharp prick on his shoulder. Fang winced, and tugged at his back, grabbing something in his hands. He pulled it out, and found himself looking at a little blue dart when his vision became suddenly blurry. A large thunk came from behind him, and Fang whirled around.

A man had fallen out of a tree, and in his hands was a gun; a tranquilizer gun.  
As the man started to walk toward him, Fang could barely make out his shape.  
He was tall, and had shaven blonde hair…  
The glint of the silver necklace gave the man away.  
"It's…it's you!" Fang cried out, and started to back up as the man came closer; a wide grin on his face.  
That was the last thing Fang said before he blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

_There he was, sitting up at the bar, as usual. Nothing like a good drink at the local tavern on a rainy night.  
Fang leaned over on the wooden counter, and shouted to the bartender. "Hey! I need a Bacardi, and make it quick!" A bald man behind the counter nodded, and disappeared behind a pair of double doors. While he waited, Fang tapped the counter impatiently, frowning. How boring it was to be the only one occupying the tavern!  
The bald man finally came back, carrying an iced-over rum glass. "There you are, sir." He set it down on the counter, and slid it over to Fang. With a tip of his hat, the weasel grabbed the glass, and chugged the whole drink. He sighed, and was about to jump off of his stool when the front door opened. _

_He gasped._

_Right in front of him, staring into his eyes, was another weasel. But not just any weasel…_

_It was a beautiful lady weasel._

_She had stunning pastel pink and white fur, with gorgeous sky blue eyes. She wore a black tank top, which made her fur stand out even more. Her boots also matched the same jet black of her top._

_She gave a quick glance in Fang's direction, and started to walk toward him with a smile on her face, which exposed her large tooth. How coincidental!_

"_Howdy, big-boy!" She greeted Fang with her Southern accent, and sat down on the stool beside him._

"_Uhhh…h-hi." Fang blushed, and gave a slight wave._

"_Aw, don't be shy, buckaroo!" The lady weasel giggled in a high-pitched laugh, and motioned the bartender to make her a drink._

_Fang said nothing. He was caught in her dreamy stare, almost hypnotized by her beauty. She was like a living gem worth more than any dollar he had ever imagined!_

_As the bartender handed the weasel her drink, she took a small sip and put it on the counter next to Fang's empty glass._

"_Hey…."_

_Fang smiled a lovesick smile at her._

"_Hey….hey….hey….hey…."_

_Wait a sec. Was her voice…getting deeper?_

"_Hey….hey…hey…"_

_What the hell!_

_Fang's eyes shot open, and he slowly came back to reality. It had all been a dream?_

He was laying down on his side on a cold cement floor, eyeing the stone wall in front of him. The wall had occasional cracks skimming its surface, and…  
Were those spots of blood?

With spooky thoughts running through his mind, Fang sat up, and found himself staring into the eyes of a wolf.

Now, this wolf wasn't anything like Fang had ever seen; it walked on all fours and resembled those dogs he saw out occasionally on the streets of Station Square. The wolf had a deep black coat of fur that brought out his piercing yellow eyes even more, and made Fang think about the tank the lady weasel wore in his dream.

"…..Hey." The wolf spoke in deep, smooth voice that hinted a bit of hospitality.

"AHHHH!" Immediately, Fang fumbled for his pistol, and aimed it at the wolf that had so startled him.

"Woah, woah, there now!" The wolf sat on his hind legs, and held up his paws. "No need to resort to violence! I won't do you any harm! Besides, those are human tools!" He seemed a bit frightened.

"'Human tools'?" Fang stared at his gun in confusion. "So? I use guns all the time! I'm a sniper!"

"Yeah," the wolf nodded. "See, they use guns against us to get what they want, and to force us here." He nodded toward another wall. This wall was not solid stone, however; it was an iron bar gate.

It gave Fang the notion that they were both imprisoned. A jail cell? What in the hell did he do wrong?

He walked over to the bars, and grasped his hands around them to see outside of the cell.

Oh my God. There were more cages? This place definitely didn't seem like a good location to be in.

Fang could see that there were some other animals in the cages, but all were like the creatures he had seen at the zoo; none resembled his unique appearance. Countless fauna met his gaze.

"Where…where are we?" Fang's voice was shaky with fear.

The wolf padded over to him, and turned to meet the weasel face-to-face. "You must have missed the whole drive over here, right? Those damn tranquilizers can knock one cold, I swear it! You were sleeping for four hours straight, muttering something about how 'sexy' this one 'pink weasel' was." The wolf gave a chuckle. Fang silently thought about what other things the wolf could have overheard while he was dreaming, and muttered a curse. "Anyway, I don't think you were quite awake enough to realize what was going on. The Hunter is like that; he'll just shoot you with those little darts, wait until you fall under, and throw you in his truck. Then, he'll drive you over here, and throw you in a cage. It's happened all the time, and I keep getting new cagemates. See, this place is what's called a slaughterhouse."

Fang gulped. A slaughterhouse? The Hunter?

"A slaughterhouse, eh? Doesn't sound too welcoming to me." He answered, and knelt down onto the floor of the cell.

"Oh, it's anything but welcoming!" The wolf rolled his eyes. "Here, the humans will do the worst possible things you can imagine! I've witnessed some of the acts those satanic beings do; for one, they can skin you alive and sell your pelt for this thing called money! Or they can just shoot you off the bat, and display your head above their mantle!"

Money. There was the very thing that had gotten Fang into this mess. He had wanted to find that so-called 'emerald' so bad! The one thing that drove the weasel to happiness was the one thing that could kill him now!

Fang shifted uneasily on the floor. "Augh. That could become of us?"

"Yeah, it's what happened to my pack…" The wolf's shining eyes dulled for a moment, and his ears drooped. He gave a quiet whine.

"Really?" Fang listened to the wolf intently.

The wolf nodded. "Well, it was about three weeks ago…I was part of a good-size pack, and we were out looking for a place to sleep for the night. All was still and quiet, but just as we were settling in, my brother Tovo snarled loudly. I turned, and there was a large armored car heading for us. A man jumped out with a rifle in his hands. He was big and muscular, and he wore a silver chain around his neck…that was The Hunter."

That struck Fang as familiar. The man in the casino?

"Some of the younger wolves attacked the intruder, and The Hunter loaded his gun. There were shots fired, and half the pack was lying dead on their sides in the grass. The wiser wolves tried to turn tail and run, but they were shot, too. About a dozen of us, including myself, were tranquilized and loaded into the truck, and he drove us off, leaving the dead behind." The wolf stopped for a moment, and continued on.

"When we woke up, we were all packed together in this same exact cage. Tovo, who had been loaded up with us, vowed to stay with me at all costs to protect me like an older brother would. But it didn't last that way. Every day, a few wolves were dragged off and never seen again. I could hear the gunshots ring throughout the hallway, and I knew they wouldn't come back.

By the end of the first week, Tovo and I were the only ones left. Then…one night…"

Already Fang felt sympathetic toward the wolf, who was now starting to have tears gather in his eyes.

"…The Hunter came and grabbed Tovo by the scruff of his neck. Tovo tried to defend himself, so he bit The Hunter's hand until it bled. It was a bad mistake. The enraged man slapped him to the floor, and shot him right there in front of me. He cursed and held his hand as it bled, and then left Tovo to die there. I walked over to him, and begged him to wake up. After many minutes of silence, I threw my head back and howled my misery.

Now, I'm the only one left of my pack. I don't know why he keeps me alive still."

The wolf was crying now, his eyes glittering with tears.

Fang felt bad for this guy. He had never lost a close family member in his life.

"It's alright…err…do you have a name?" Fang held out a gloved hand.

"Asher. My name is Asher." The wolf wiped away his tears with a paw, and shook Fang's hand.

"And I'm Fang." Fang nodded, and yawned sleepily.

"Ah, getting tired now? It's the middle of the night, anyway, and you probably have some effects of that drug left. Best to sleep it off." Asher curled up on his spot on the floor, and watched as Fang retreated to his own separate corner of the cage.

Fang fell asleep that night with bloody nightmares swirling angrily in his head.


	4. Chapter 4

Fang awoke to a heavy crunching sound coming from the front of the cell. He sat up slowly, and immediately held his head in pain. Great. Perfect time for a headache.

"A-Asher?" He asked in an almost fragile voice.

The black wolf was standing over a steel bowl with his snout digging around inside it. It seemed he was eating something or other; Fang didn't really know what. Asher stopped crunching for a moment, and turned to look back behind him at the weasel in the corner.

"Good morning, Fang. Breakfast is already here, and there's some for you, too." Asher smiled, and nudged another bowl over beside him with a paw.

That was the first time Fang had noticed a thin scraggly red line across Asher's right eye. A scar. Gruesome thoughts on its origin started to haunt Fang. _It would be best not to ask about it…_he thought. With a heave, Fang got to his feet, and grabbed his throbbing head, trying to keep his balance. He wobbled over to Asher and the bowl that awaited him.

The bowl was half-full with little brown spheres that resembled cereal as its contents. Was it cereal? Fang took one in his hands, and examined it closely. He shrugged, and popped it in his mouth.

"Eh, it's a little dry…what is this, anyway?" Fang turned to the wolf, who had just finished his food.

"They say it's called 'dog food', whatever that is. I personally don't mind it much." Asher answered.

"WHAT!" Fang hastily spat out the dog food, and cursed. "SO THAT'S WHAT THAT SHIT WAS!"

Asher just stared at him with a confused expression, oblivious to why Fang had hated it. "Well, that will be all you're going to get to eat around here. The humans don't give us much of a choice; as I say, it's 'Hunt or be Hunted'. If you don't eat, you'll get thin and weak and you'll become an easy kill for The Hunter. That's how it goes."

Fang calmed down from his outburst, and ignored the countless stares the animals in the other cages across the hall gave him. "Hm, that 'Hunter' has some serious anger issues, let me tell you. It was just a poker game for Christ's sake! I mean…" he trailed off as he ran out of things to say, glad that his headache had finally subsided.

"Poker? What's this 'Poker'?" Asher inquired, and sat down on his haunches beside Fang, hoping to hear some sort of explanation.

"Part of the whole reason I'm here."

The whole rest of the morning, Fang told Asher about his encounter with The Hunter; the poker game, the race to find the Chaos Emerald, the ruse…all up to the part where he had first met Asher the night before. As he finished, the wolf nodded expectantly.

"Ah. I see why he wants you, then. Revenge. A most stupid reason, but The Hunter has a way of getting what he wants no matter how extreme." Asher stared down at the stone floor for a few moments before perking up again in alert.

"Someone's coming!" Asher's fur stood on end, and he growled at the cell's door.

Large, heavy footsteps echoed through the building, seeming to come closer and closer with each step. There was another noise in tune with the footsteps; a kind of jangling sound like that of some jewelry. Fang waited until the figure came into view.

The familiar gleam of the necklace and bulging form of the man was unmistakable. It was The Hunter himself, and he was coming to their cage! The Hunter stopped in his place, and turned toward Fang and Asher. He just stared at them with those pale blue eyes, and smiled. His smile was quite ugly; who would want to see a smile full of yellow gnarled teeth? It made Fang have the urge to just punch out every last putrid molar in that man's mouth. The Hunter stooped down to the ground and met Fang eye to eye.

"Why hello, little weasel." The Hunter glared at Fang through the bars of the cell in an icy stare. "I see you are…enjoying it here." He chuckled.

Fang scowled. "I'd like to see you enjoy it when I take this gun and shoot the shit out of you." He drew his pistol, and aimed it at the man's face.

"Oh, trying to be a smart-ass?" The Hunter patted a long black rifle at his side. "Just wait until I decide to shoot the shit out of YOU." He laughed again; such a hideous laugh! "I'll be taking that. Don't want any trouble, now do we?" With a swipe of his huge hand, The Hunter swatted Fang's gun out of his hands. The gun landed on the stone with a sharp 'Clink!' It was then that the weasel caught a glimpse of the bite on the man's hand as it grabbed the pistol on the floor. It appeared very deep and was an ominous red, still not healed from the incident with Asher's brother.

Just as The Hunter was about to lift the pistol through the bars, Asher lept past Fang at an amazing speed, snarling and baring his teeth. He bit down on the very hand his brother had weeks before, with a powerful force. All the hatred he felt of The Hunter seemed to flow into that bite; the death of his brother and pack, the countless number of beatings he had endured in the past, the other helpless animals he had so brutally imprisoned.

"AGGGGGH!" The Hunter cried out in pain, and dropped the gun, sending it sliding back into the cage. He yanked his hand out from Asher's jaws, further ripping the skin off in his fury. Asher backed up until he was front of Fang, and kept snarling as The Hunter stood back up.

"YOU JUST TELL YOUR LITTLE FRIEND THAT I'LL- Crunch!" In his haste to retreat, The Hunter stepped on his rifle, snapping it in half. With waves of curses and enraged glares, The Hunter fled back down the hallway with the broken rifle in his hands; one of which was now bleeding profusely.

After the man left, Fang stared at Asher in disbelief. "You…you…" He picked up his pistol that was lying in the middle of the floor. "You just saved my life AND my gun."

"Ah, it was nothing." Asher smiled, and padded over to Fang's side. "Besides…what are friends for?"


	5. Chapter 5

The two said nothing after the incident with The Hunter. Fang was utterly stunned by Asher's sudden display of courage, and he couldn't seem to get the event out of his mind. What if The Hunter decided to take revenge? He had taken revenge on Fang by imprisoning him in this goddamn place over a stupid poker game! If The Hunter had gotten that mad about something that small, there was no telling what he could do to Asher…

Fang leaned against the bars of the cage, and looked over at Asher, who was peacefully napping in the middle of the floor. He looked almost harmless just lying there, save for the few little teeth sticking out of his snout. "Sleep well, I guess." Fang sighed, and tipped his hat at the sleeping wolf. Just as he was getting ready to whip out his pistol and start polishing it, a faint noise echoed through the hallway. Footsteps!

"Huh?" Fang whirled around, and stuck his head through a gap in between the bars to see who was coming. He half expected the person to be The Hunter; clad in his army attire with the large rifle gripped in his hands.

Boy did it surprise Fang when a woman appeared! She was heading over to the cage across from his, where she bent down, and took out a shiny brass key. Wait a second. A key? Was she going to release them? It was then that Fang took note that the woman was wearing almost the exact same outfit The Hunter did; a camouflage tee, those khaki pants…maybe it was just a uniform. Though, unlike The Hunter, she had a bandana over her head to match her shirt.

The woman unlocked the door of the cage with a flick of her wrist, and pushed it open with a slight shove.

"Tchtchtch! Come on, you damn deer!" She swore at a big brown creature moving toward her at a sluggish pace. It limped over to the cage door, and walked out into the hallway, shaking violently. "Agh, must have hurt yourself. Only good for the gun." With that, she pulled out a small handgun from her pocket.  
_She's going to fucking shoot that deer!_ Fang could only watch as the deer turned its massive head toward the gun, and blinked for the last time.

BOOM!

The deer fell over on its side with a loud thump, and moved no more.

The woman shook her head, and as she put her gun away, a squirrel darted past under her feet. "HEY! YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE!" she cried out, and stepped on the squirrel's fuzzy tail. A tiny shriek came from the squirrel, and the woman grabbed it by its legs. "Just for that, you don't get to go outside today! It's beautiful weather, after all." The squirrel was hastily thrown back into the cage, where it hit the wall and slid to the floor.  
_Ow. That's gotta hurt._ Fang winced at the squirrel, who was now twitching on the ground.

"HEY! WE GOT A SKINNER HERE!" The woman yelled in an ear-splitting cry, and her words bounced off the walls like they were made of rubber. After a few moments, someone replied. "OKAY, JANE! WE'LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE!"

_Hm. A skinner? What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ Fang thought, imagining what kind of horrible things it could be when Jane slammed the door and startled him. "Well, now I don't have to take anyone from Cage 26." She turned around, and headed over toward Fang's cage with a smirk on her face.  
"Aha, now Cage 27…the boss said to watch out for you. Says you are…" She flicked Fang on the nose, causing him to pull his head back into the cell. "…special."

"If I were you, I would look for someone else to piss off right about now." Fang glared at Jane, and rubbed his nose in pain. He was in no mood to fight her at the moment.

Jane stared at him like he was some kind of newborn puppy. "Oh? You give threats? That's soooo cute!" She giggled at her sarcasm in that annoying girly voice. "You know, I would shoot you if I could, but the boss said specifically not to…yet. I'm quite the sharpshooter!" Jane winked, and fingered her pistol anxiously.

"Hmph." Fang snorted, and motioned to the dead deer lying outside in the hall. "You call that a sharp shot? Please! You hit it in the back!" The weasel rolled his eyes. Well, he should know. After all, he WAS a sniper, right?

"You think I'm THAT stupid? A weasel thinks he can beat my skills!" Jane unlocked the door, and threw it open. She stepped in the way, blocking the doorway so Fang could not escape.

"Yeah, I can pretty much blow your fucking brains out right now." Fang grabbed the pistol out of his belt, and cocked it right in front of Jane's face, ready to shoot her right there. Jane gasped as if she was running out of air. "H-he…never told me you could…but you are…a…"

Fang smirked at her as she tried to grasp the right words to say. "Now if you could lead me to this 'outside' place, that would be great." His trademark fang glistened evilly, and Jane backed out of the door. "Su-sure thing, weasel!"

_That's better…._ He thought, and walked nonchalantly out of the cage. As he stepped out, Jane slammed the door behind him, and gestured for him to follow. Fang looked back over his shoulder at Asher, who was still asleep after all of the ruckus Jane had caused. _It would be best for him to stay here. He's probably been 'outside' before anyway._  
"Over here, weasel!" Jane called from halfway across the hall; she walked fast, no doubt.

"Don't call me weasel!" Fang spat, and caught up to her, waving his gun at Jane so she would not forget he had the weapon. "Call me Fang. Fang the Sniper."

Jane nodded quickly, and started walking again.

As they walked, Fang noticed that the cages they passed had all been emptied, save for a few animals that lay dead on the floor. They must have been rejected as the deer had…illness, injury, deformities…Fang hoped he wouldn't die here, even though he felt quite confident at the moment.

When the two reached the end of the hall, there were two more halls on either side. Jane started to walk left, but Fang wondered what was on the right side. He thought he heard some squeals and yips, but he wasn't sure. "Hey, what's down that hall?" Fang pointed his pistol to his right.

"Oh. Well…you'll find out soon enough." Jane was hesitant about revealing anything, so she kept on proceeding to the left.

"Hmmm. Interesting." Fang listened as gunshots were fired, and the squeals subsided before he tagged along behind Jane.

The hall didn't last very long before Jane fumbled for her brass key again. "There's a door up here, wea-"

She met Fang's glare and corrected herself.

"…uh, I mean Fang." As Jane finished, she reached the huge steel door, and clicked the key into its slot.

_Better remember that…I need a key to open doors…_

Jane carefully pushed the heavy door open with a grunt, and light flooded into the hall. Fang shielded his eyes from the brightness; it had been days since he had seen any source of light.

"Here you are." Jane guided Fang outside, and quickly jumped back into the building, where she slammed the door shut.

There was no exact word to describe what Fang saw before him.

A small field stretched on in front of him, cut off by a steel wire fence that surrounded the width of the slaughterhouse. The grass was lush and green, with the occasional flower budding here and there, and huge pine trees lined the outside of the fence. This was nothing like the inside of the facility! In fact, Fang concluded that he would rather be kept out here instead of some dingy cage, and he understood why this must have been a privilege to see.

But, he was not the only one outside. There were quite a few other animals playing, greeting, and even celebrating in the field. Some formed groups and met with each other near a specific flower or weed, and started talking. It puzzled Fang, for these groups were not made of the same animal. Cougars met with rabbits and woodpeckers, moose met with bears and herons, and there were even snakes meeting with mice! It was quite a strange sight indeed, but not one animal resembled Fang in the least.

Wait. Wasn't this area free of any supervision? There weren't any guards around. He could escape right under that Hunter's ugly little nose!

Fang tucked his pistol away, and made a mad dash toward the fence, expecting to jump it. "I'm getting out of this damn hellhole!" He didn't care what animals he shoved aside; he was going to be free!

He came up toward the fence, and jumped onto it, the thought of escape clear in his mind.

As he touched it, an overpowering wave of electricity shot through his body, and Fang fell into the grass, stunned. A porcupine nearby shouted at him and laughed. "Heh! Didn't you know that fence was electric?" A group of birds and lizards snickered with him.

"Aughh…" Fang struggled to get up, and grasped the fence for support.

ZZAP!

Another shock sent him to his senses, and back into the ground. Maybe it was best to stay here for a while. When his vision came back to him, Fang stared out at the pine trees circling around the field. They seemed to be mocking him with their size, towering above him like he was some sort of ant.

It was then that he noticed something in a tree on the other side of the field. Something purple and white….

The something seemed to notice Fang, for it leapt from tree to tree over to one closer to him. As it came closer, Fang could make out its shape…so familiar…

It was the voice that gave the stranger away.

"Nack!"

It was his sister's unmistakable nickname for him. But why, and how, did she know where he was?

"Nic?" Fang answered weakly, and looked up at the tree above him.

There she was, in all her glory. Dressed in her khaki shirt, her own brown hat and belt, and her heavy boots, Nicolette stared back at him with her crystal blue eyes that even shined like crystal itself. It was then that Fang noticed that they glittered with tears.

"Oh, Nack! Look what they've done to you! You are in a slaughterhouse with God only knows how much time left to live!" A single tear dropped down from the branch she stood on, and hit Fang in the face.  
"Wait…how did you know I was here?" He asked, and sat up a little, despite the pain from the shock of the fence.

"I followed you to the Mystic Ruins, seeing as you were up to something. I had no idea that that gem was all a ruse!" Nic sobbed hysterically, like she had never before in her life. "When that evil bastard threw you in the truck, I knew he was no good! He drove you to this forest as I rode in the backseat with you knocked out cold. I-I had to jump out the second the truck stopped so I wouldn't be seen…I've been living in these trees for days wondering if you would come out here." More tears streamed down her face as she watched Fang stand up with the aid of a boulder next to him.

"Nic! It's dangerous here! You can't just play hero and rescue me! It's more complicated than that. I promise…I'll find a way out." Fang didn't know if he was speaking the truth.

"But I don't want you to die, Nack! You are my older brother, and I want to help you!" Never before in his life had Fang seen Nic care so much for him.

"No, Nic...just go back to Station Square!" He shooed her off with a wave of his hand, but she wouldn't go away.

"But I-" She tried to protest.

"Go!" Fang yelled up to her as a little tin bell rang back near the facility. Jane appeared in the distance in the doorway of that steel door. "COME BACK IN YOU DAMN VERMIN!" Animals herded toward the door, and crawled back inside the building.

With tears in her eyes, Nic looked back at Fang, and disappeared among the trees.


	6. Chapter 6

_Nic… _

As Fang walked among the hundreds of animals flocking toward the door, he thought of his sister's little episode back at the fence. Was she really that intent on trying to save him? He didn't know, but it puzzled him as to why she felt so sorry for him…

Jane leaned against the door impatiently, one hand on her hip. "C'mon, c'mon already! I haven't got all day!" She tried to rush the herd into the building all at once, causing some of the larger animals to get stuck in the doorway. With one quick boot in the leg, they would manage to squeeze out and limp into the hall.

"GI Jane; the American Pain!" Fang muttered just loud enough for the woman to hear once he passed her. Lucky for him, the sentence did just what he wanted. Jane flared an angry red, and clenched her teeth. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!"

"You heard me loud and clear." Fang smirked at Jane, and continued on down the hallway with the other fauna, not willing to look back.

Jane's curses followed them.

Without a single argument, the animals found their cages and started to nudge the doors open. Nobody dared to try and escape, for Jane was behind the crowd with her pistol drawn.

_What a retard. She's holding it the wrong way! _Fang tried not to burst out in laughter when he saw Jane threatening a group of possums into their cage with her gun. So much for being a 'sharpshooter'.

"Now to look for Asher…" Fang quietly mumbled to himself as he perused the rows of cages. "Kinda wish they were numbered." He remembered that Jane had said he was in 27, but there had to be at least fifty down the hall!

A sharp bark informed him that the wolf had seen him. "Asher? Where are you?" Fang glanced around nervously, seeing he was the last one out in the hall. All of the other animals had been locked up already.

"Right here!" Asher chuckled as Fang whirled around, and looked behind him.

"Yeaaaahh. I could have sworn you were there!" Fang's embarrassment leaked out of his voice quite noticeably.

"Sure, sure. Well, come on. It's unlocked, and you had better get in before Jane finds that you are still out there." Asher's tone immediately went serious. "You really don't want to know what she can do…"

Without further comment, Fang pushed open the door, and walked inside. "Sigh…more time in here? I haven't even been out an hour!" He sat down on the ground beside Asher, and started toying around with a stray dog food kibble.

"They don't give us much time outside. There weren't enough people working here to watch everyone at once, so they built an electric fence to keep us from escaping. Problem is, if an animal runs into it by accident, that might be the last day they will see." Asher replied, and watched Fang roll the kibble around on the floor.

"Oh, I could have figured that out! I thought I could climb over it, but I ended up getting zapped." The weasel shrugged. "Oh well. I was too intent on keeping my eyes on the prize."

Asher just smiled, and put his head down on his paws.

"Hmmm. A game of marbles sounds good right now." Fang took the tiny piece of food, and aimed it at the cage across the hall. He flicked it through one of the gaps in the bars, and the kibble skittered over into the other cage. The second it stopped rolling, a little squirrel popped out from the farther recesses of the cage, and clambered over to investigate what had just landed in its territory. Its whiskers wiggled as it sniffed the kibble, and in seconds, popped it into its mouth greedily.

When the squirrel finished, it stared at Fang and Asher with its beady black eyes, and walked over to the front of its cage.

"Ey you! With tha hat!" He yelled in a high-pitched Aussie accent that made him sound as if he was sucking on a helium balloon.

"Huh? Me?" Fang cocked his head at the strange little squirrel. Wasn't that the one that Jane had so brutally thrown against the wall earlier?

"Yeh. Yeh you and the wolfie." He stuck his head out from the bars.

"Uh, Asher? Who is the midget?" Fang turned to the wolf, who was now sitting regally on his hind legs like a noble dog.

"Oh, Pat? He's the squirrel who came all the way from Australia on an airplane. Says he's the last of his kind. I'm not sure, but I think he's gone insane." Asher watched as Pat frantically waved his arms in the air. "He tries to formulate all of these 'complex' escape plans, but he's failed at every one. Quite a quirky little fellow."  
"EY I'M TALKIN TO YA!" Pat shouted, interrupting Asher's conversation.

"What do you want, squirrel?" Fang asked, irritated that Pat would bother to cut Asher off.

"I want another kibble! See, I'm gonna try and pick that lock up there, ey mate?" Pat pointed at the large padlock on the door. "I tells ya, it's genius!"

Asher rolled his eyes. "Sounds like he's having another one of his 'breakthroughs'. Just go along with it, and roll him another one."

Not wanting to deal with that midget shout again, Fang got down on his belly, and flicked another kibble toward Pat, who was waiting with his arms outstretched.

Pat grabbed the kibble in his hands, and skillfully climbed the bars to the door, where he shoved the kibble into the lock, and turned it. The kibble crumbled to the ground in a cloud of dust and crumbs.

"Oh crap, it didn't work!" Pat sighed, and climbed back down to the floor. "Can I have another, mate?"

With a groan, Fang took a kibble from his bowl, and flicked it over toward Pat again.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a boot came down on the kibble in the middle of the hallway with a loud crunch.

Pat gasped, and slowly looked up.

The Hunter's evil glare met his gaze, and the man grinned a Cheshire grin at the squirrel.

"EEEP!" Pat started for the back of his cage, but The Hunter had already seen his next move. With a quick swing of his muscular arm, he grabbed Pat's bushy tail and pulled him out through a gap.

"Heheh. Playing games, are we squirrel?"

Fang and Asher turned away to face the back wall. This did not look good at all for poor Pat, and they refused to watch.

Pat vibrated with fear, and stared back at The Hunter with his bulbous squirrel eyes. He had no idea what was going to happen to him, but he braced himself for the worst.

"You know, I hear you are the last Australian Black Bush Squirrel around. Poor you, I loved how your species' coats were dappled…" The Hunter showed his false sympathy with a slight smile. "Oh well. I'll be happy to sell off your coat to those high bidders! Smithsonian would pay bundles just to get their hands on one!"

The Hunter moseyed back down the hallway, carrying Pat by his tail. Pat struggled to get free of The Hunter's grip, but it was no use. His weak squeaks echoed through the hallway until they vanished altogether.

"Oh God no! This is my fault! I knew I shouldn't have passed him another one!" Fang watched in horror as the Hunter turned to the right at the end of the hall. "He's going to kill Pat!"

"There's nothing we can do, Fang. Pat is a goner, and we can't just bust out. This happens all the time here, and you had better get used to it. That's why it's called a slaughterhouse!" Asher replied, sorrowfully.

A single gunshot rang out in the air, and all was silent.

Pat was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

That night flew by in a chaotic blur of questions. Who knew how much time the two prisoners had left? What horrible things would The Hunter do to the deceased Pat? How would they escape?

Escape. The sheer idea had barely even occurred to Fang the whole time! Oh great, now he was starting to act like Pat.

_I'll have to think about escape later. I'll bet their security is extra tight during the AM._

The facility was deathly still. Not a single animal snored or stirred; for they knew if they made any loud noise…there would be dire consequences.

"Asher? Don't you feel like you are being watched?" Fang whispered to the wolf lying beside him.  
"Not really. But then again, I've been here longer than you." Asher brought himself to his feet and padded over to the corner of the cell. "Except I could never figure out what this thing was. I always get chills whenever I look at it." He gazed up toward the ceiling, where a tiny white orb was drilled into the stone.

"It's probably just an alarm." Fang shrugged. "Just a guess."

"I'm not sure…it keeps blinking for some reason and frankly, it's creeping me out right now." Asher cringed back, and gave a pitiful whine. It seemed unlikely that such a brave wolf would be so scared of a miniscule instrument!

"Let me check it out." Fang kicked his food bowl over to the corner, knocking it upside-down with a loud clang.

"Shhh! Do you WANT us to get in trouble?" The wolf scolded, and watched intently as Fang stood on top of the bowl.

"Hmmm. You know, this thing looks an awful lot like a camera." He tapped the orb suspiciously, and watched a little red light blink on and off. "See, that's the record light. Someone IS watching, Asher, and I think they have plans in store for us…"

---

"Damn right I do, weasel."

There he was, sitting on a giant jet black swivel chair in his own personal office. It was a tight space; hundreds of papers were crammed into the filing cabinets in the corners, trophy animal heads decorated the walls, and the constant flashes of the dozen television screens nailed into the wall could have easily made someone blind.

But it didn't seem to bother The Hunter much.

"Yes…you and your little 'Asher' will soon be mine." He glued his eyes to the television screen, and watched Fang's curious antics with the camera.

"You think he will be able to see me do this?" Fang looked down at Asher, and then returned his attention back on the camera. He pulled up his gloves, and intentionally raised his middle finger up at the recording light.

"WHAT?" The Hunter angrily pounded the desk with such force that it made an indention in the wood. "HOW DARE THAT BASTARD FLICK ME OFF!" His face turned a cherry red as he glared at the screen and the weasel on it. "JANE!" The Hunter bellowed for his assistant.

"Augh, what NOW sir?" Jane appeared in the doorway, irritated that she was being summoned during her break time.

"Jane, as my right hand man er…woman…, I can trust you to carry out an important mission for me, right?" The Hunter spun his chair around to face her.

"Uh, sure whatever." The woman quickly stole a glance in his direction, and went back to staring at the ground.

"Fine then. I can't leave any of this to the other employees, so you had better listen closely. I'm not going to repeat this scheme again." The Hunter rolled his chair over to Jane, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Here is what we will do…"

---

The dawn's light shined through the small windows in the hallway, slowly rousing the animals from their sleep.

After playing with the camera the rest of the night, Fang was quite tired. He had hoped that whoever was watching him had caught the gesture.

"Oi, I wish there was coffee here…" Fang sat up against the wall, and sighed. "But that stupid Hunter guy can't give us a break."

"Coffee? Isn't that a human drink?" Asher stood by the door of the cell, and stuck his snout through the bars.

"Screw human talk! Listen Asher, haven't you ever wanted to get out of this hell and be free again? You know, run around without any worries?" Fang joined the wolf at the door, and grasped his hands around the bars. "Without any bars blocking your way?"

Asher sighed, and stared out at Pat's empty cage across the hall. "It is useless, Fang. I'll never hear freedom call my name again. Escape is near impossible around here. Just look at what happened to Pat!"

Fang said nothing. Had Asher truly lost hope this fast?

"Well, you said _near_ impossible. That means there is still a chan-"

Footsteps thundered in the hallway, interrupting Fang mid-sentence.

"It's Jane!"

Indeed, the woman was racing toward them, a silver pistol clutched in her hand. Her face wore a very pissed off expression, like she was going to shoot someone.

Like she was going to shoot them…

"Asher, get in the corner!" Fang motioned for his friend to step back, but the wolf refused to move. His hair stood on end, and a deep growl sent small tremors through the ground.

"Asher!" Fang persisted, but pleas did not convince him.

"No! I'm staying right here to fight!" Asher watched as Jane stepped right in front of their cage, and aimed her pistol at the two of them.

"I saw what you did to my boss last night, punk! Don't try anything funny with me!" Jane's hands were white from squeezing the gun. She grit her teeth so hard that it looked like she would snap them in half. "My boss sent me to make sure you two were dead as a doornail!"

"Oh really, GI Jane? Then let's fight fire with fire!" Fang pulled out his own pistol off of his belt, and aimed it right back at the woman.

Jane had been foolish enough to step that close to the door. She didn't have much time before Asher stuck his muzzle out of the bars and snapped at her side, his teeth latching onto one of her pockets.

It was just the distraction Fang needed. He aimed at Jane's chest, and whispered one little word…

"Boom."

He pulled the trigger.

Jane staggered backwards, and fell to the floor with a thud. She moved no longer. Animals from other cages around quickly stuck their heads out, and turned to stare in Fang's direction.

A bewildered elk across the hall cocked his head, and shouted in awe. "Did YOU do that?"

Fang blew on the smoking end of his pistol and smiled, his fang glistening with a triumphant shine.


	8. Chapter 8

Grey clouds started to gather on the horizon, masking out the afternoon sun. Why did they have to be let outside on such a gloomy day? The air was unpleasantly sticky; a sure sign it would rain soon.

"Ahhh…I feel like a king, Asher." Fang lay peacefully under a pine tree, surrounded by a crowd of creatures that shoved each other out of the way just to have him within their sight.

"Well, everyone hated that Jane with a passion. Nobody ever thought they would see the day when someone of our type would stand up and get rid of her." Asher's bright yellow eyes gazed out toward the dozens of others watching them. The fauna seemed to pile up even more as the seconds rolled on, just staring back at the two under the tree.

None of the other animals dared speak, until a young woodpecker weaved her way out from between the sea of animal legs. She was shaking with pure excitement, almost like she was ready to blast off from that very spot!

"Uhm, sir!" The woodpecker directed her question toward Fang. "Is it true that you killed off Ms. Jane?" All eyes shifted to the solitary woodpecker, and back at Fang to see how he would answer.

"Why yes it is! Who else would have exterminated her, hmm?" The weasel replied, and reached for his gun. "And I did it with THIS!" He quickly snapped out the pistol, and the crowd recoiled in fear. After a few moments, everyone was 'oohing' and 'ahhing'at the weapon.

"DON'T SHOOT ME!" A timid rabbit scampered off into a nearby bush in terror that Fang would actually shoot him.

"Aw, c'mon! I'm not going to hurt any of you!" Fang yelled over to the rabbit, but he got no reply.

"Can I see it? The almighty machine?" The woodpecker batted her eyelashes in a begging manner, speaking of the weapon Fang had in his possession. "PLEASE?"

All of the other animals started chattering away with mixed answers:

"Let the young one see it!"

"No! It's much too valuable! Keep it with you!"

"She could kill herself!"

"IT IS HOLY!"

"Errr…" Fang was about to say something when Asher tugged roughly on his belt, and dragged him behind the pine.

"Fang, listen…you have gotten WAY too ahead of yourself! You are letting your guard down with this whole 'popularity' jazz!" Asher's voice shook with worry in a way Fang had never heard before.

"Relax Asher! I'm not going anywhere for a long while, especially with this gun!" The weasel waved his pistol at his friend's face. "I can protect myself see? It's my JOB to snipe out people!" He carefully stored the gun away in its pocket.

"But I don't want to lose you like I did my brother! One minute you could be standing here alive, and the next you could be on the ground lying dead!" The wolf whined pitifully, trying hard to make Fang see his logic.

His attempt was no use against the stubborn weasel. Fang just rolled his eyes, and turned to face the crowd again. The clouds grew darker, and it started to rain.

"You don't care, do you? You only care about this power you have over the whole damn slaughterhouse!" Asher jumped in front of Fang's way in one swift leap to try and stop him. He bared his teeth and growled, intending to show that he meant business.

"Oh, so THIS is what you think I did? Shot Jane to gain trust in everyone? Oh please!" Fang pushed Asher out of the way, aiming to get back to his audience.  
Suddenly, the wolf clamped his jaws onto Fang's glove in anger, and tried to pull him back behind the tree.

"AUGH SHIT, ASHER!" Fang cringed as he tore his hand out of Asher's mouth. He barely glanced at his wound, but he could feel his glove getting damper from the blood the cut leaked. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" A nasty glare was cast in Asher's direction, and the rain grew into a pouring torrent. The wiser animals from the crowd turned and herded back into the building.

"I was trying to knock some sense into you! You aren't listening, so obviously you DON'T care about us! Only do you care about yourself!" Asher's fur stood on end, and he snarled viciously. Thunder boomed overhead and lighting laced across the sky, scaring the rest of the crowd back into the safety of the facility.

Seeing it fit to follow the rest of the animals, Fang trudged off toward the door of the building, clutching his hand in pain. He did not dare to look back at his friend, not after he had so brutally snapped at him.

Fang stepped through the doorway and down the hall, leaving Asher outside alone in the raging storm.

---

It had taken a long time for Fang to fall asleep. The pain of his hand and the burden of his cellmate kept gnawing at his mind, even though they were sleeping on opposite ends of the cage.

He had no idea what was going to happen within mere hours.

---

He thought he heard footsteps in the middle of the night, but maybe it was just a dream…

No. It couldn't be. They were getting louder and louder…

Fang rolled over onto his side to drown out the noise. "Uggghhh, keep it down please."

When he spoke, the footsteps halted for a few minutes. Then they started to fade away…

What the hell was going on?

"Huh?" Fang sat up, and opened his eyes. "Asher if that's you, then can you-"  
He glanced around the cage, only to notice that the wolf was nowhere to be found.

"Asher? Asher where are you?"

No answer. But the footsteps…they were faint, but still nearby.  
Fang stuck his head out of the bars of the cage, and stared down the hallway.

"Oh hell no."

But, oh hell yes! It was The Hunter's camouflage attire that gave him away as he walked down the hall.

And who was that black furry thing he was carrying in his arms?

"Oh my God."

Fang had to do something, for he realized that Asher was the one being carried away. What was The Hunter going to do to him?

"Need…to…kick down this door!" The rattling of the cage's door echoed through the building as Fang tried endlessly to knock it down. Some animals woke up from the racket, and turned to watch what the weasel was up to.

It took several tries, but eventually the door fell down, and Fang scampered down the hall.

_I've got to see what he is going to do with Asher…but I can't let myself be seen or heard. I'll need to follow that bitch… _

The Hunter reached the end of the hallway after a few minutes, unaware of the weasel a few steps behind him. At first, Fang thought he was going to turn left and go outside,  
but when The Hunter turned to the right, that was where Fang remembered something.

One of the first days he had been here, Jane had been hesitant about saying exactly where that exact hall lead, and he thought he had heard gunshots coming from that direction before.

_No._

For a few moments, Fang watched the burly man walk down that hall with Asher struggling in his arms. He felt guilt start to creep through him about that afternoon. How could he have ruined their friendship? That might have been the last time he would have ever spoken with him…what if The Hunter was going to…

_No._

The man came to a door on the right side of the hall, and opened it with a loud creak. He stepped inside, and lugged Asher in with him.

_No._

Totally ignoring if he would be seen or not, Fang dashed down the hall to the door, where he stopped to stand in the doorway. The room inside was pitch black, until The Hunter clicked on a small lightbulb that was dangling on a cord from the ceiling. This room was small and empty; the only things in it were the blood stains on the concrete floor, and a few boxes off in the back of the room. It reminded Fang of their cage, except without the bars.

Totally clueless about Fang's presence, The Hunter slammed Asher onto the floor in a violent toss. The wolf got to his feet, and cowered up against the wall of the room, shaking and whining softly. Why was he not fighting back?

Fang could only watch as The Hunter turned to face Asher with a rifle in his hand. It seemed to shine in a way that mocked Fang's gun.

_NO._

The man aimed it at the cringing wolf, and lay his finger on the trigger.

"NO!"

That one gunshot painstakingly tore away at Fang's emotions within the course of a few seconds.

Asher gave a short yelp, and fell to his side with a thump. The Hunter lowered his smoking gun and smiled a twisted smile at the now motionless wolf. Upon hearing Fang's shout, he turned to the weasel and spoke in an almost evil voice that matched his grin.


	9. Chapter 9

Time seemed to slow down to an agonizing pace as The Hunter stood smiling at Asher's limp form. Oh how he enjoyed seeing others in pain, especially if he had caused it!

"See that, weasel? One shot is all it takes. I guess you were right; it doesn't matter what you are because I can still kill you." The Hunter motioned to the rifle he still held in his hand, and he brought it up to firing position. He aimed the crosshair at Fang's head, and prepared to shoot.

Fang was still in shock from Asher's demise, but he was aware enough to notice that the man in front of him was going to fire. Just in the nick of time, he dove out of the way of the bullet and landed on the floor beside Asher.

_If only I had that much luck in the casinos._

The Hunter, obviously pissed off about missing his shot, glared at Fang with fire in his eyes. "So…THIS is the way it is going to be, huh?" Once again, the rifle shot up to the man's repulsive face.

Though, Fang wasn't about to let his guard down. With unmatched speed, he brought out his own weapon to face The Hunter's fearsome rifle. The pistol hadn't failed him yet the entire time he had been imprisoned, and he hoped that it would not falter this time. His life depended on it.

"You think that sad excuse for a gun is going to get you anywhere?" The Hunter taunted, and started to step away from the lightbulb. With no other source of light in the room or coming from the hallway, he seemed to disappear completely as if he were a ghost.

_Oh shit…where did he go?_

Fang hesitated for a moment, and started to head over to one of the boxes against the wall. He kept shifting his gaze to the shadows, where he occasionally thought he spotted movement. The pistol in his hands was shaking slightly as he approached a box. Maybe he could snipe The Hunter from inside one of the boxes. Fang was about to hop into the one closest to him until he got a glimpse of what was inside.

A whole pile of bloody skins was carelessly stacked up in the bottom of the box. Most of the furs were riddled with stains, especially the white ones. One pelt seemed to stick out from the others…it seemed oddly familiar, though he could not think straight with his heart pounding madly in his ears.

_Pat? They skinned Pat?_

Fang had made a foolish mistake to just stand there and stare at the contents of the box. Before he had even sensed anyone near, he heard the gunshot ring out in the room. By then, it was too late.

An excruciating pain ripped through his arm, and he fell to his knees.

_Augh…he got me…_

Too much in pain to speak, Fang gritted his teeth and clutched his arm as The Hunter came into view. The burly man had that same twisted smile smeared across his face as he stared down at the weasel.

"I would have thought you might have put up quite a fight, 'Fang'." The Hunter smirked, and reloaded his rifle.

Fang kept on wincing, even though he felt like giving the man the fight he had hoped for. The pain in his arm was unbearable; the gunshot wound was starting to bleed profusely. Fang slowly rose to his feet to face The Hunter.

"Pssh. If you wanted to kill me so badly, why did you hit me in the arm, hmm? I'd say you are just a shitty marksman." With that remark, Fang stuck his tongue out at The Hunter, trying not to let his arm bother him.

"TAKE THAT BACK, YOU ASSHOLE!" The Hunter glared at Fang in a cold stare.

"Bite me." The weasel responded, and fingered his pistol with his one good hand.

That set The Hunter over the edge. He threw his rifle to the ground, and fumbled into another box. In seconds, he pulled out a huge machine gun that was at least twice the size of his rifle!

"I DON'T NEED TO BE A MARKSMAN WITH THIS!" The Hunter roared, and started firing bullets everywhere like he was drunk.

Fang was smart enough not to stand around with a machine gun. He darted off toward where Asher lay, with a rain of bullets following his path. Though, it was still dark, even as he got closer to the lightbulb dangling from the ceiling…

Unfortunately, Fang could not see where he was going, and a small box on the ground was positioned right in front of him. He tripped over the box, and landed with a thud on the floor. Within seconds, The Hunter was once again right in front of him. Fang found himself staring down the barrel of the massive machine gun, and he froze.

"You are mine, weasel. ALL mine." The Hunter mocked.

Fang only had one shot at this. If he messed this up, he would die. No second chances, even though he was an excellent sniper.  
He sat up quickly, and brought his pistol to aiming position. Not wanting to see if he missed or not, Fang shut his eyes and pulled the trigger.

BANG.

The Hunter stood still for a moment, seeming to stare into space. He dropped the machine gun, and started to sway back and forth before toppling over to the ground.

After a few minutes, Fang opened his eyes to stare at the motionless man on the floor. The Hunter returned the stare with his own blank gaze. He did not move any longer.

"…Oh my God. I actually did it." Fang whispered, dumbfounded at how little a chance he had had of making that shot. He made a silent cheer, and started to smile when he heard a small whimper come from Asher's direction.

"F…Fang…"

With the realization that his friend was still alive, Fang crawled over to Asher's side and stared the wolf in the eyes. The bright yellow that had once shined in them was fading.

"Asher! You are alive!" Fang gasped, and embraced the wolf.  
"Yes…but I'm…afraid not…too much longer." Asher replied, his voice almost a whisper.   
Fang's grin faded as he remembered the incident that had happened that afternoon, and about what Asher had just said. Remorse started eating away at him.

"I'm…I'm sorry Asher! I should have listened to you! You were right and I was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong!" He started sobbing like he had never done before in his whole life.

"…it's okay…Fang. I'm…sorry…too….." Asher watched as the crying continued.

"But I got you into this mess! If I had listened to you, you wouldn't be hurt! Everything would have gone back to normal!" With only one thing left on his mind, Fang brought his pistol to his head, and lay his finger on the trigger.

"I'll do it Asher! I'll do it if you want me to!" Fang stared back at Asher with a determined look on his face.

"No…Fang…don't do it…that is…only going…to hurt more…" The wolf waited until Fang brought his gun down.

"Oh Asher, don't go! Don't go! You mean too much to me! You are the only true friend I have ever had!" Fang admitted.

"…Well…if…we…are indeed…friends…will…you take…a final request?" Asher's voice started to lose more and more of its vigor.

"Anything, I'll do anything for you!" The weasel sobbed, and strained to listen to his friend's wish.

"Set…the…others…free……" Asher gave one last breath, and closed his eyes forever.

Knowing that the wolf would no longer speak again, Fang lay his head down on Asher's side and cried himself to sleep.

---

Several hours later, Fang woke up. He frowned as he realized what had occurred earlier. Asher was dead, but he had left Fang with a dying wish. It was only right to do what was requested.

With a sigh, Fang stood up and gave one last look at Asher's immobile corpse. 

"Adios, Asher."

He took his hat off in respect, and bowed to the wolf before heading out the door.

Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be any other staff at the slaughterhouse, making Fang feel a whole lot safer. If there had been a security team, things would have gotten quite difficult. After all, Fang didn't feel like fighting anymore. He fixed his hat back onto his head, and listened to his solitary footsteps echo through the building.

When he reached the hallway with the rows of cages, Fang tried to figure out exactly how he was going to free them. He did not have the keys for the doors, but The Hunter probably did. Fang refused to go back down the hall and retrieve the keys; the last thing he wanted to see again was Asher's limp form on the floor.

Then, it occurred to him that he could use his gun to shoot off the locks on the doors. It was worth a shot. He had to do it…for Asher's sake.

Fang walked over nonchalantly to the first cage. He peered inside, and found that the creature who lived in this cell was none other than the young woodpecker that had asked to see his gun! She was sleeping peacefully with her head tucked in under her wing, unaware that she was about to be liberated.

BANG!

The padlock on the woodpecker's door quickly fell to the ground as the bullet hit it, making the door of her cage swing open. The loud bang from Fang's gun startled the bird, and she quickly snapped open her eyes. She gasped when she saw who was at her door.

"It's you, the one who killed Jane!" The woodpecker had such a loud mouth that her cries of excitement woke the rest of the animals in the hallway. Groans were heard until Fang was spotted. Several voices broke out into comments.

"Well, would you look at that! Mr. Weasel comes to rescue us!"  
"I never thought I would live to see this day!"  
"Where is The Hunter? I don't think he would allow this!" The woodpecker blurted out, and started to walk out of her cage.

"Oh, that ass? You don't have to worry about him anymore. I took care of him like I did Jane." Fang couldn't bring himself to smile, even though he had eliminated a huge threat.

"I didn't know that guy was a donkey. He looked like a human to me!" The woodpecker smiled, and started for the hallway. She opened her wings wide, and crowed so that all of the residents could hear:

"I'M FREE!"

Fang nodded to the bird, and moved on to the next cage. He repeated the process of destroying the locks on every single door until he had freed all of the animals in the hallway.

The elk who had witnessed Jane's death scooped Fang up in his antlers, and snorted to get all of the other animals' attention. All eyes were fixed on the beast within seconds.

"Tonight we were set free from this awful prison by this weasel, Fang. Not only did he set us free of our cells, but he liberated us from The Hunter and his assistant as well. Now we will never have to face those humans again!" The elk bellowed in an inspirational speech.

"Hooray!" The animals stuck their paws in the air in unison, and followed the elk as he led the procession with Fang balancing on his antlers.

"I guess I'm famous now." Fang shrugged. It felt good to have fame, but nothing could really cheered him up now.

The parade marched on until it reached a door near the front of the building. All of the fauna came to an immediate halt.

"Uh, we forgot about the front door." A beaver pointed to a large steel door that was blocking their way. The whole crowd of animals sighed in despair. 

"We can't get out!" The beaver slapped at the door with his tail in an attempt to knock it down.

"Wait. Let me see…" Fang leapt down from his perch on the elk's antlers, and approached the door. He firmly knocked on it, and immediately pulled his arm back.

"Oh shit, that was my bad one…" He started rubbing the spot where he had gotten shot on his arm, and turned to the swarm of creatures.

"No use trying to shoot it. It's steel, so even multiple bullets won't do a thing." Fang shook his head.

"Wait! I can try something. Everyone, get out of my way." The elk backed up a few feet and then charged at the door; his head low so that his antlers stuck out like menacing spikes.

WHAM!

The door fell over as the elk hit its steel surface, and all of the animals started to run out into the open. Families were reunited with each other and groups met together in the grass. After they gathered together, they scurried off into the forest surrounding the building, not once looking back at their former jail. Eventually, the elk pranced off as well, leaving Fang alone by the doorway.

"Freedom doesn't feel as good as they make it out to be…" He looked down at the ground, and kicked at a rock lying near his feet. "I guess I should try and find a way back to Station Square myself."

As Fang walked out into the open, he heard a faint humming noise that sounded like the drone of a fly. The sound got louder and louder, until Fang could see that something was riding toward him.

"Nack!" A shout shattered the silence of the forest. He knew that voice all too well.

"Nic?" Fang squinted into the distance. The thing that was riding toward him was none other than his younger sister, who was driving his air-bike the Marvelous Queen!

When Nic reached her brother, she stopped the Queen right in front of him. The moonlight against the air-bike's steel frame made it gleam like a knight in shining armor.

"Oh Nack, you are alive! I thought I would never see you again!" Nic motioned for Fang to hop onto the back of the Marvelous Queen. "Hurry before they spot us!"

"Nic, there is no danger. I killed off the two that were responsible for all of this mayhem." Fang put his pistol away on his belt, and clambered onto his bike. It was then that Nic noticed the wound on his arm.

"How did you get that?" She hastily grabbed his arm, and examined it with a careful eye.

"Nic…please. I just want to leave. You can look at it later." Fang rolled his eyes and pulled his arm away. "Get her moving." The Queen rose into the air, and started heading away from the facility.

As the air-bike moved on, Fang took one last look at the slaughterhouse in the distance before it disappeared between the maze of pine trees.

_Goodbye…_

---

Meanwhile, back inside the dim back room of the building, a single voice echoed through the now empty halls:  
"I'll get you someday, Fang! Then you will wish you had never been born!"_  
_


End file.
